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Historians have estimated Russia: the number of dead German soldiers is comparable to the Soviet military losses

newsru.com 08.05.2008

Despite the considerable time since the Second World War, there are countries are still not able to calculate its demographic losses. And, oddly enough, they include Germany. Until now, all researchers have relied the propaganda of Goebbels statistics agency. The number of well-known German graves only on the territory of the former USSR is twice the official data, wrote "New Region".

Such an incredible situation for several reasons, chief among them - defeat of Germany in the war and the division country into two independent of each other. A huge number of files was divided between West and East Germany, and researchers for a long time have not been able join the search. In addition, in the ranks of the Wehrmacht but the Germans were representatives of other countries at that time attached to the Third Reich and did not take into account modern authors.

"People in the war did not spare neither our nor the Germans, - has told a leading researcher at the Center of Military History Institute of Russian History RAS Tatiana Bushueva. - For example, to calculate the Soviet dead is very difficult in 1941 because it was an unmitigated disaster. Calculate those who died can be approximated. For Germans, the situation is even worse because a disaster for them turned out to be the last period of the war - from 1944 to 1945 ".

loss information in Germany came directly from three sources. Acting on the Eastern Front troops did not always belong only to ground forces. Together with them, fought Division of the Air Force and Navy, and military personnel have already been inspected in other departments. Then, through the General Staffs of the data added and quoted an official propaganda.

"It's no secret that they are often undercounted by the authorities - said the director of the Institute of Russian History, RAS Corresponding Member Andrei Sakharov. - They operated Goebbels's propaganda, and the trouble is that even now, after the war, historians have to go to these figures, because that many files were simply destroyed ".

dead Nazis considered little more than 2.5 million of their compatriots. Although only a number of known graves the former Soviet Union is more than 3,2 million and in recent years because of the search groups their number has grown significantly and indirect estimates close to 4 million

In addition, the number of official deaths are not included Germans who were killed in 1945. Namely, in the last four months of the war were very bloody for ground forces fighting Germany, and information about the losses they estimated only indirectly. Thus, in the writings of historian Burkharta Mueller-Gillebranda, a former major general Wehrmacht, in January-May 1945 on the Eastern Front had been lost as missing or captured 1.5 million people.

According to the Soviet General Staff stated in the commission and the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Academy of Sciences under the direction of Gregory Krivosheyeva, for the period 1 January to 9 May 1945 were taken captured 1.94 million people. After May 9 on the Eastern Front has capitulated 1,284,000 soldiers. Number of dead Germans are described in this period only hypothetically.

"Based on these data, military historians have concluded that the number of German dead on the Eastern front passes for 4 million" - continues Tatiana Bushueva.

However, for example, Army General Hist. Mahmut Gareev gives a figure of 7 million Calculation is carried out fairly simple, but effective way. Through the ranks of the German armed forces during the war years were 21.2 million people. If you take a certain number of casualties on the Eastern Front (More than 4 million) to add to them fell on other fronts (1.4 million) transferred to industry (2000000), retired on injury, illness, prisoners, deserters, etc. (2,5 million) and captive (about 3 million), as well as remaining in the Wehrmacht at the time of surrender (4800000), a figure involved in the war the Germans 18 million people. Unaccounted for just left another 3 million people, and most likely these people have fallen in battle with the Red Army in the USSR, Poland and other countries. Thus more or less plausible demographic losses of the German army is more than 7 million and 8 million together with its allies. But this is only indirect figures.

"For comparison, the Red The army has suffered in killed and died in hospital 6.1 million, plus 2.5 million prisoners were harassed by the Nazis in concentration camps. Total 8.6 million troops, "- told Senior Fellow, Institute of Russian History, Vladimir Nevezhin. The remaining loss of the Soviet Union, amounting to 18 million people, fall on the civilian population occupied territories affected by the massive Nazi genocide. That is all we have lost in the war about 27 million people.